Tyrone dethrone Kerry in classic final

Tyrone 1-16 Kerry 2-10

Tyrone won their second All-Ireland football title in three years with a performance packed with passion and self-belief at Croke Park.

Champions Kerry put up a massive fight, but in the end just fell short of the intensity which the Ulster men brought to the contest.

In a gripping finish, Tomas Ó Sé pulled back a goal to narrow the gap to just a point, but the Red Hands held on heroically to win by three.

It was the toughest title ever won, Tyrone taking the Sam Maguire Cup after an unprecedented ten game run, including three replays.

A crowd of 82,112 witnessed a captivating contest, hard but fair, and some sparkling football from both sides.

Peter Canavan gave Tyrone the edge with a goal late in the first half after Dara Ó Cinnéide had hit a Kerry goal, but it was Tyrone's superb defence which won the day, time and again halting their opponents in their tracks with superb blocks and intercepts.

When Paul Galvin delivered the high ball for Colm Cooper to send Dara Ó Cinnéide in for a sixth minute goal, Kerry looked as if they were capable of taking control.

At 1-2 to 0-2, they were performing with confidence, their support play a joy to watch, with Tomas Ó Sé and Marc Ó Sé always providing outlets and options pressing forward from the back.

They were perfectly placed to press home the advantage, but Tyrone dug in and got their defensive act together.

Ryan McMenamin began to get the measure of Cooper, although he was powerless to do anything about the two majestic points the 'Gooch' swung over.

Kerry, however, became increasingly frustrated at their failure to break down Tyrone's tigerish and stubborn resistance, and Ryan Mellon's two long range points gave the Red Hands belief and conviction.

Gradually they took control, and the final 15 minutes of the half belonged to Mickley Harte's men.

They hit 1-5 in that period to turn a three points deficit into a four points advantage.

Brian McGuigan tagged on a couple of points, and as the half slipped into stoppage time, Peter Canavan stamped his class on the game, taking an Owen Mulligan lay-off to blast low to the corner of the net.

Tyrone led by 1-8 to 1-5 at the break, but scores from Cooper and O Cinneide soon had Kerry's challenge back on track.

Stephen O'Neill, after a quiet first half, began to find some space and knocked over a couple of points, and a Mulligan free made it 1-12 to 1-8 midway through the second half.

But a 56th minute goal, blasted home by Tomas Ó Sé after Brosnan's shot had been blocked, had Kerry right back in it.

Tyrone's vast experience, however, had taught them how to close out a game, and Canavan, O'Neill, McGuigan and defender Philip Jordan hit the points which sent the title back north.

Kerry: D Murphy; M O Se, M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T O Se (1-0), S Moynihan, A O'Mahony; D O Se (0-2), W Kirby; P Galvin, E Brosnan (0-2), L Hassett; C Cooper (0-5, 2 frees), D O'Sullivan, D O Cinneide (1-1, 1 free).

Subs: MF Russell for Hassett, D O'Sullivan for O Cinneide, E Fitzmaurice for Moynihan, B Sheehan for Galvin

Tyrone: P McConnell; R McMenamin, J McMahon, M McGee; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan (0-1); E McGinley, S Cavanagh; B Dooher (0-1), B McGuigan (0-3), R Mellon (0-2); P Canavan (1-1), S O'Neill (0-3, 2 frees), O Mulligan (0-5, 2 frees).

Subs: C Holmes for Canavan, C Lawn for McMahon, Canavan for McGinley

Referee: M Monahan (Kildare)